Disciplinary Literacy: Why it matters and what we should do about it

    Dr. Elizabeth Moje, University of Michigan.

    Based on her research work in disciplinary literacy teaching, Moje will help us to think about how current research provide a framework for disciplinary teaching including critical components of the Common Core State Standards.

    Moje will review research on disciplinary literacy teaching to help teachers at all grade levels to deliver the promises of the Common Core State Standards. The review will draw on existing studies that exemplify how teachers can think about disciplinary literacy instruction. Moje will also share studies to illustrate key practices for teaching children, youth, and novice teachers how to navigate the demands of reading and writing challenging subject-area texts. In closing, she will lay out the challenges to integrating such instruction into elementary and secondary classrooms and offer suggestions for navigating those challenges.

    For more information on Dr. Moje, please visit her faculty website at

    A selection of Dr. Elizabeth Moje’s references on disciplinary literacy:

    Moje, E. B., & Speyer, J. (in press, 2014). Reading challenging texts in high school: How teachers can scaffold and build close reading for real purposes in the subject areas. In K. Hinchman & H. Thomas (Eds.), Best practices in adolescent literacy instruction (2nd ed.) (pp. xx-xx). New York: Guilford.

    Stockdill, D., & Moje, E. B. (2013). Adolescents as readers of social studies: Examining the relationship between students’ everyday and social studies literacies and learning. Berkeley Review of Education.

    Rainey, E., & Moje, E. B. (2012). Building insider knowledge: Teaching students to read, write and think within ELA and across the disciplines. English Education, 45(1), 71-89.

    Pearson, P. D., Moje, E. B., & Greenleaf, C. (2011). Literacy and science—Each in the service of the other. Science, 328, 459-463.

    Learned, J., Stockdill, D., & Moje, E.B. (2011). Integrating reading strategies and knowledge building in adolescent literacy instruction. In A.E. Farstrup & J. Samuels (Eds.), What Reading Research Has to Say to Reading Instruction (pp. 159-185). Newark, DE: International Reading Association.

    Moje, E. B. (2010). Comprehending in the content areas: The challenges of comprehension, grades 7-12, and what to do about them. In K. Ganske & D. Fisher (Eds.), A comprehensive look at reading comprehension, K-12 (pp. 46-72). New York: Guilford.

    Moje, E. B., & Speyer, J. (2008). The reality of challenging texts in high school social studies and science: How teachers can mediate comprehension. In K. Hinchman & H. Thomas (Eds.), Best practices in adolescent literacy instruction (pp. 185-211). New York: Guilford.

    Moje, E. B. (2008). Responsive literacy teaching in secondary school content areas: The research we have, the research we need. In M. Conley (Ed.), Adolescent literacy policy and instruction: The research we have and the research we need (pp. 58-87). New York: Guilford Press.

    Moje, E. B. (2008). Youth cultures, literacies, and identities in and out of school. In J. Flood, S. B. Heath, & D. Lapp, (Eds.), Handbook of research in teaching the communicative and visual arts (pp. 207-219). Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum. PR